History

The earliest known habitation of the elven sub-race that would come to be known as valley elves. The valley elves lived in isolation, ruled by a king of their race, until they established relations with gnome traders whose commercial interests extended as far east as the central Flanaess. Eventually, a population of these gnomes came to inhabit the Valley, as subjects of the valley elf king. Humans followed, being allowed to settle in small communities under the rule of a human earl, who acted as a vassal of the elven king. Despite this, the Valley remained relatively isolated, it existence commonly unknown beyond its neighboring states, of whom Geoff had the most contact, despite the disapproval of that nation's elven inhabitants.

Geography

The Exalted Vale of the Mage or Valley of the Mage is almost completely surrounded by the looming Barrier Peaks. The only egress from the valley is a small 30 mile across opening on the southeastern side, a days’ ride from the Dim Forest.

The Vale of The mage is surrounded by the neighboring countries of Bissel, the Gran March, and the Duchy of Geoff. The Vale covers roughly 17,500- square-miles, though it longest point is nearly 260 miles, while its widest is a mere 90 miles.

The Vale of the Mage set within a flat plain, and the elevation of the vale at the entrance across from the Dim Forest is only slightly lower than the elevation at its northern or western boundaries where it intersects the Barrier Peaks. The primary soil type of the area is a heavy fertile clay that dominates the riverbank areas of the Javan River, while there are others further away from the riverbanks.

Winding through the Vale is the Javan River, which begins in the Barrier Peaks and meanders through the valley exiting betwixt the Dim Forest. The river acts as a transportation source, provides food and fresh water for the denizens of the valley. The Javan River is also known for its breathtaking falls near where the Barrier Peaks and the valley meet.

There are many streams and canals within the valley, all of which begin or feed from the Javan River. In addition to this, there are half a dozen small lakes close to the base of the Peaks.

The Vale of the Mage falls into a temperate climate zone. Though, it rarely experiences the harsh extremes in temperature as its surrounding nations. The valley is quite well known for its permeating fogs and for its heavy amount of rainfall during the spring. During the summer the temperature barely reaches over 80 degrees. While the winter months temperatures barely drop below 40 degrees. While snow is infrequent it can occur during the month of Sunsebb on rare occasions. The Vale is known to set upon a small fault line that occasionally creates small tremors that can be felt throughout the Barrier Peaks all the way to the edges of the Dim Forest. Though, these quakes are quite very rare.